Organic Search Click Through Rates: The Numbers Never Lie
On the first page alone, the first five organic results account for 67.60% of all the clicks and the results from 6 to 10 account for only 3.73%.
If you‘re like most searchers, you prefer clicking on organic results as opposed to clicking on paid ads. As noted by the stats above, simply paying for Google Ads is not enough.
Numerous studies have proven that to benefit from the traffic and organic clicks to your website your business needs to hold a prominent organic position in the results, namely page one.
Studies indicate that “71.33% of searches resulted in a page 1 Google organic click. Page two and three only get 5.59% of clicks. On the first page alone, the first five results account for 67.60% of all the clicks and the results from 6 to 10 account for only 3.73%.”
So what’s left? A measly 15% of all traffic – Going to the Google Paid Ads (PPC), or trying a different search. Or giving up.
That’s pretty staggering. If you think you are getting the most bang for your buck with your Google Adwords campaign, I challenge you to reframe your thinking. You are paying for high-cost ads that may provide instant gratification, but in the end provides zero long-term investment, minimal CTR (click through rate) per dollar spent, and does little to heighten brand credibility.
Having placement in the organic results creates a sense of trust in the user, and when you are in the top 5 results, you are simply getting more of that traffic on a monthly basis. Can you guess which websites are more likely to receive more leads and sales? Yes, the websites receiving traffic from the more trusted organic results.
This is why time and time again, an SEO Campaign from a trusted SEO Company is a much better investment of your time and resources.
Ok, Ok, Fine – Organic Search is a better investment – But does it matter where I am on Page 1?
I think you know the answer. How often do you go past the top 3, or even top 5 results when you are searching? I’ll tell you: only 4% of the time.
When looking at the bar graph at right, CTR, or click through rate, is the percentage of people who click on your website in that position on an average search. The conclusion? You simply must be in the top 3 results to see the traffic your website deserves, and you must work with a results-driven, reputable SEO company that can provide those results.
What does “organic search” actually mean?
Organic refers to the way a website “organically” or “naturally” appears in a search result. So when you go to Google, and you type in “SEO Hong Kong”, the results that appear after the Google ads are the “organic” results. Google wants to make sure that searchers are not only getting the results they need but wants to give them the best possible outcomes based on their query. Therefore, these results are the best possible matches based on what you entered into the Google search bar, aka “keywords”.
Why Organic Matters
If your business appears in a page one organic search result, it suggests that your website and your business are leaders in that niche.
And what consumer doesn’t want to business with a credible leader within their product, service or field?
Achieving organic page one search results not only increases the searcher’s propensity to click on a website, but it also helps to establish your website position’s longevity and the duration a searcher or visitor engages with your website. Once a searcher gets to your website, your website should make them want to spend some time clicking around on your website, but ultimately you want them to pick up the phone and call you! It is important to note that conversion and Click-Thru Rate (CTR) has a lot to do with external SEO factors like a modern, responsive website that has excellent evergreen content, strong sales copy, and loads of great, easy to read and interpret information about your business, products and services.
There’s no arguing that having your business’ website rank in the top 5 positions of Google is a great achievement. Like any great success, those results take a fair amount of time, skill and seo expertise. However, once your business makes it’s way to the top, it can reap the bountiful benefits of consistent leads, calls and customers.
Overall, prominent ranking in organic SEO is not only beneficial to the people searching for your business; it is the best for the longevity of your website and optimal business growth.